Malaysia opposition fires lawmaker in 'Allah' spat

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA — Malaysia's opposition has fired an outspoken lawmaker who broke ranks with his party in a religious dispute over the use of the word "Allah" by non-Muslims, party officials said Sunday.

The move follows weeks of turmoil in opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim's three-party alliance, which is battling concerns that nearly a dozen opposition legislators might switch sides and enable the ruling coalition to regain the two-thirds parliamentary majority it lost in 2008 elections. The alliance has lost four members of Parliament in less than a month.

Anwar's People's Justice Party announced late Saturday it was kicking out Zulkifli Noordin, a lawmaker who has repeatedly clashed with other opposition officials and recently filed a police complaint against his own colleague for stating that non-Muslims can use the word "Allah" as a translation for "God."

Religious tensions rose in January after the High Court struck down a government ban on the non-Muslim use of the word, angering many among the ethnic Malay Muslim majority. Subsequently, several Christian churches were attacked with firebombs and paint. Some Muslims have been arrested in connection with at least one attack.

Anwar's multiethnic opposition party says non-Muslims should be able to use the translation.

Zulkifli, who is expected to remain an independent lawmaker, criticized his party's decision to fire him, saying it marked "the start of the downfall and destruction" of the party.

"There is no reason for me to remain" in Anwar's party, Zulkifli said in a statement. "Indeed, I would be ashamed in front of Allah and the Islamic community to stay on."

Since mid-February, Anwar's party has lost three other federal legislators, all of whom turned independent because of personality and ideological conflicts, including over the "Allah" issue. None has so far joined the ruling National Front, but some opposition officials say they expect several to eventually do so.

The opposition alliance made big strides in national polls two years ago, depriving the National Front of a two-thirds majority in Parliament. But the Front, which controls 137 of the 222 seats in the legislature, is just 11 seats shy of regaining that majority and the power to change the constitution.

Anwar is also struggling to maintain the confidence of his allies as he stands trial on accusations of sodomizing a male former aide. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison. Anwar claims Prime Minister Najib Razak's administration fabricated the charge, but the government denies it.